Alison Mercer
A Textile-Thinking Ecology
Summary
Alison Mercer's practice based research examines textile thinking as a pragmatic and theoretical mode, method and site of practice.
Interdependent and interchangeable textile thinking ecologies evolve through a series of carefully sustained, phenomenological insider and participatory textile praxis encounters in vulnerable and clinical community contexts.
Results correspond significant methodological approaches to better understand how exchanges to care for creative living circulates through trans-contextual communities.
Additional info
This research critically defines textile thinking as an ecology within a theoretical and Appreciative Textile Thinking Mapping System (Mercer 2021) that references a variety of contextual themes and concepts.
The key concept of, The Textile Toolbox (Pajaczkowska, 2016) activated a conceptual and pragmatic methodological framework that was adapted and implemented into a series of facilitated textile making experiences in field research settings.
Three significant interdependent and interchangeable themes emerged from insider and participatory practice: Defined as reflexive modes, methods and sites of practice.
Reflexive aspects evolved from The Textile Toolbox focused on four textile thinking self positions (The Evocologies) that provided insight to better understand living participatory communities.
Each Evocology is an independent phenomenological ethnographer, candidly enduring and corresponding to attune to each site of practice. Responses are materialised as a series of artefacts that mediate tacit encounters.
The Atropos Evocology embodies scissors to render dissociated logic, she separates to activate cold scrutiny.
The Isis Evocology bricolages flock logic to vivify and piece together her fragment collections with sewing implements that suture.
The Ariadne Evocology integrates her heuristic thread of labyrinthine logic. She circumambulates production to integrate the clues discovered on her methodological journey.
The Hygieia Evocology is the gestalt operator filtering the correspondences exchanged. She metabolises and transforms exchanges into a lustrous logic.
All the Evocologies elaborate the research question to elucidate a generative archive of correspondences. All exchanges collectively contributes to a sustainable methodology of research practices for a trans-contextual community and build on textile thinking wisdom.
